Tobacco Tax: a rant and response.
Well ... it's just stupid what they're doing.
Huge increase and it's basically a poor tax. Look at how it's structured, the largest increases target the forms of tobacco the lower income people in our society smoke. This is not about helping people quit -- the UMC pack a week smoker is not the target of this tax, neither is the quarter million dollar a year, cigar a day fellow. It's an unfair poor tax.
So we come up with a tax that targets low income people, and specifically targets the lowest. And it's a segment of the population that is least likely to protest effectively.
We don't want them to quit, because we know smokers have *less* health care costs than non-smokers. (When we die we don't linger.) We want them to be addicted and to keep paying for it.
It's wrong on a lot of levels. It burdens one segment of the population unfairly. And they're already hit with state tobacco tax increases because the politicians know they have to get the money from somewhere, and they've promised to not raise other taxes. Pick on the smokers.
And if you doubt this ... why are many states piggybacking their own taxes on top of the $28 a lb. federal increase? *And* why are these same states considering lifting or easing their smoking bans?
What will be the effect ... well, malnutrition for one, in children and adults because the real low income tobacco addicts are going to keep buying $10/pack cigarettes instead of food. More smuggling: the black market in tobacco will boom. And, of course, more poor people in jail and clogging the penal system for stupid things like driving 10 cartons of cigarettes off an Indian Reservation.
You will note, please that while I smoke, none of the arguments I have made here have a thing to do with my simply thinking it's my right.
I'll post the urls with some of this information later. (Don't get me started about the second hand smoke thing, I'm just wondering if it's so deadly, however, how come all of us over 40 are *still alive*?)
So, there is one route, (for now) left.
The second batch of seeds is on order. The first lots are sprouting. If all goes well the first tobacco garden will be harvested and smokeable by late October. I encourage everyone who can to do the same.
We are networking cooperatively to share what we grow, because we know not everyone can or is able to quit.
If you have garden space and are game, please contact.
Who would have thought "grown your own" would refer to tobacco?
Huge increase and it's basically a poor tax. Look at how it's structured, the largest increases target the forms of tobacco the lower income people in our society smoke. This is not about helping people quit -- the UMC pack a week smoker is not the target of this tax, neither is the quarter million dollar a year, cigar a day fellow. It's an unfair poor tax.
So we come up with a tax that targets low income people, and specifically targets the lowest. And it's a segment of the population that is least likely to protest effectively.
We don't want them to quit, because we know smokers have *less* health care costs than non-smokers. (When we die we don't linger.) We want them to be addicted and to keep paying for it.
It's wrong on a lot of levels. It burdens one segment of the population unfairly. And they're already hit with state tobacco tax increases because the politicians know they have to get the money from somewhere, and they've promised to not raise other taxes. Pick on the smokers.
And if you doubt this ... why are many states piggybacking their own taxes on top of the $28 a lb. federal increase? *And* why are these same states considering lifting or easing their smoking bans?
What will be the effect ... well, malnutrition for one, in children and adults because the real low income tobacco addicts are going to keep buying $10/pack cigarettes instead of food. More smuggling: the black market in tobacco will boom. And, of course, more poor people in jail and clogging the penal system for stupid things like driving 10 cartons of cigarettes off an Indian Reservation.
You will note, please that while I smoke, none of the arguments I have made here have a thing to do with my simply thinking it's my right.
I'll post the urls with some of this information later. (Don't get me started about the second hand smoke thing, I'm just wondering if it's so deadly, however, how come all of us over 40 are *still alive*?)
So, there is one route, (for now) left.
The second batch of seeds is on order. The first lots are sprouting. If all goes well the first tobacco garden will be harvested and smokeable by late October. I encourage everyone who can to do the same.
We are networking cooperatively to share what we grow, because we know not everyone can or is able to quit.
If you have garden space and are game, please contact.
Who would have thought "grown your own" would refer to tobacco?